updated its technological features, significantly boosting its wireless and fiber-optic connectivity. The convention center,
which features an extensive art collection,
also partnered with STQRY, an app that
enables visitors to locate and explore the
sculpture, paintings, multimedia and other
works on display.

Other tech-forward meeting facilities include the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, an IACC-certified facility that
offers 100,000 square feet of meeting and
event space in a complex with panoramic
views of Elliott Bay, Puget Sound and the
Olympic Mountains.

When it comes to innovative off-site
venues, Seattle Center, originally the site
of the 1962 World’s Fair, has a stunning
array of options that include the Pacific
Science Center, Museum of Pop Culture
(MoPOP), Chihuly Garden and Glass and
the Space Needle.

Built as the Fair’s U.S. Science Pavilion, the Pacific Science Center retains its
stunning Mid-Century exterior of towering
arches and reflecting pools, but has been
updated with IMAX theaters, hands-on science exhibits, laser light shows, a planetarium and a tropical butterfly aviary. The center can host anything from intimate dinners
to lavish events for up to 4,000 guests.

Offering event space at its SkyLine level
for up to 350 guests, the Space Needle
recently added new digital experiences.

Its 520 Teleporter and SkyPad kiosks enable visitors to create personalized digital
photos and enjoy virtual experiences
around the city, including getting on the
field with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks at
CenturyLink Field.

Also new is the Space Needle 360
app, which when used with VR headsets
enables planners to take virtual tours
of Seattle Center’s event possibilities.

These include the Ultimate Block Party, amulti-venue bash that can accommodatemore than 2,500 people when combiningMoPOP, the Space Needle and ChihulyGarden and Glass.

Created by Microsoft co-founder Paul
Allen, MoPOP (formerly the Experience
Music Project) is filled with interactive
exhibits pertaining to rock music, science
fiction, fashion and more. Event
spaces include Sky Church,
which offers a massive
video screen for productions and holds up
to 500 people.

Recently relocated
to the spacious Naval Reserve Building
in Lake Union
Park, the Museum
of History & Industry (MOHAI) has an
extensive collection of
artifacts and memorabilia, including souvenirs from
the World’s Fair, neon signs from
bygone establishments, maritime objects
and products from local businesses.

Endowed by Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos,
MOHAI’s Bezos Center for Innovation
features lectures, special programs and
interactive exhibits pertaining to Seattle’s role as a nexus for big ideas and new
concepts. MOHAI offers several spaces for
private events, including the Grand Atrium,
Lakeview Terrace, Lakefront Pavilion and
West Patio.

Bellevue

Located just across Lake Washington from
Seattle, Bellevue does brisk business mid-week with corporate groups, according to
Jane Kantor, director of sales for Visit Bellevue Washington. Its main meetings facility, the Meydenbauer Convention Center,
recently completed a major renovation that
included enhanced network and audiovisual capabilities and other tech upgrades.

“Groups coming here expect to have
great technology, so it’s very exciting to offer them a new product,” Kantor said. “The
center was taken down to the studs and
both the interior and exterior have been
vastly improved.”

Tacoma

South of Seattle, Tacoma is another desti-nation that showcases innovation. The cityoffers midsize meeting and conventiongroups the chance to take over the citywhile enjoying a compact downtown with arenowned waterfront museum district juststeps away from hotels and the conventioncenter, according to Chelene Potvin-Bird,vice president of sales for Travel Tacoma.Tacoma’s major meetings venue, theGreater Tacoma Convention Center, pro-vides 119,000 square feet of meeting andexhibition space. Construction is expectedto start later this year on an adja-cent 300-room conventionheadquarters hotel witha projected opening insummer 2019.“This is a very wel-come development,as we could usemore rooms withinwalking distance ofthe Center,” Pot-vin-Bird said. “Thenew hotel will also giveus more meeting space,so we’ll be able to handlelarger groups.”Tacoma offers groups an arrayof choices for off-site venues, she added.“Our museums are a huge asset for us—many groups will do an event at America’sCar Museum or the Museum of Glass,” shesaid. “People love going to the Museum ofGlass, where they get the chance to blowtheir own glass objects.”One of the region’s premier attractions,the Museum of Glass is an architecturallandmark on the city’s revitalized water-front. Its massive 90-foot stainless steelcone features the world’s largest Hot ShopAmphitheater where visitors can see glassartists at work, transforming piles of brokenglass into sculptural objects.

The museum also features galleries of
glass art, including works by Tacoma native
son Dale Chihuly, and an Education Studio
where visitors can create their own glass
art.

Tacoma’s newest venue, America’s Car
Museum, is a nine-acre complex that features not only vintage cars but an education center, library and exhibits exploring
how the automobile has played a distinctive role in shaping American society.
Groups of up to 500 can gather in spacious
galleries overlooking downtown Tacoma or
in more intimate spaces that include a club
lounge. The 3.5-acre Haub Family Field is
available for car shows, concerts, festivals
and other events.

Another asset for groups is the University of Washington Tacoma, a 46-acre
campus adjacent to the museum district.
The university has facilities equipped for
sophisticated video and data presenta-